Kwesi Appiah warns Black Stars players against putting captaincy ambitions over team success

Former Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah has spoken out on the ongoing debate surrounding the Black Stars' captaincy, stressing that individual ambitions should not come at the expense of the teams success.He questioned why some players place so much importance on wearing the armband rather than focusing on contributing to the teams performance.If you dont have the armband, will people not see you as a big player in the team? Is it about you, or is it about the team? Appiah asked during an interview with Luv FM.He insisted that national pride should come first, and no player should put personal desires above the collective goal of winning matches.If, because of captaincy, your country will lose, will you say your country should lose? No.His comments come at a time when Ghanas national team has seen frequent captaincy changes.With Thomas Partey absent for the AFCON 2025 qualifiers against Sudan, Mohammed Kudus was named captain. Later, in matches against Angola and Niger, Jordan Ayew took over the role, sparking concerns about instability.Reports suggest Jordan Ayew is now the team's permanent captain.Ghana has a history of captaincy controversies, including the 2019 incident when Asamoah Gyan was replaced by Andre Ayew ahead of AFCON, leading to Gyans brief retirement.The Black Stars are set to take on Chad and Madagascar on March 21 and 24 respectively in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Read Full Story